Nanny: Something special in the attic
by nilescclover
Summary: niles gets stuck in the attic and starts to remember his past.
1. Chapter 1

The Nanny is a copyright of Sony Pictures, High School Sweethearts, Sternin & Fraser's Ink, Inc.

No infringement on the rights of anyone involved in its production is intended.

These characters don't belong to me. I just borrowed them for a while.

Something special in the attic

Dec 1-7 2007

Authors notes: **All things italicized are of a past time. Regular type is right then and there and bold is for things that are written down. **

"Niles we're going to get into trouble, come on down." B yelled form the hall.

"I haven't found what I am looking for yet." Niles shouted back.

"But what if dad comes home. You know he doesn't allow any one up there."

"It's our… my stuff up here too." Niles went farther back into the attic.

B hears someone coming down the hall. "Niles…" he calls. No answer. Oh, well, "Niles you're on your own."

"What?" Niles called, not really paying attention for he was looking at an old rocker. One that, he sniffed one that Sarah used when the kids were babies. "Max put that up here when…" He rubbed his face "after she died." Niles went and sat down in it. Niles' mind: _what could hurt just one rock._ "I remember…"

"Val look out." Fran shouted.

"Whoa, that was close." Called her friend catching her balance.

"I'll say." Fran picked up the end of the ladder. "I guess one of the kids left it opened." She folded the ladder the rest of the way up and closed the door. "There out of the way. No one will trip." Niles heard the bang.

"Oh, no. That wasn't what I think it was." He walked over to the door. "Oh, no it was."

He banged on it. "Open the door, open the door." but there was no answer back. "Why would B do that? Is this a joke?" Niles sat back down in the rocker. "I have to find away out of here." He sighed. "I don't know if there is another way out of here. If there is I haven't found it. There's still so much to this house I don't know." He swallowed. "I guess someone will come looking for me. Wait," he snaps his fingers. "B knows I'm here. He will come looking." He shook his head. "I might as well continue with what I was doing." Something caught his eye. "Is that a…. that's it, that's the old trunk."

He blew the dust of the top of it. A dust cloud lingers in the air. "Wow. Has it been here that long? I just hope what I'm looking for is in there." He unlocked the latches on the front and slowly lifted the heavy lid. The hinges creaked. "I hope there' not a body in here that Max's hiding." He shook his head. He reached in the trunk and shuffled some papers around. "Nope, no body in here. But I see something interesting. A …photo book." He picks it up. "I haven't seen this since…" he sniffed "her death. Which we… I still haven't got over it. I don't guess that is something you ever do?" He blinked tears threaten his eyes again. Niles blew more dust off the leather book. "It has just as much dust is…" he sneezed. Ah…ah…ahchoo…

"Great just what I need now." He looked down at the brown covered photo book. "Wow, this is a surprise this is not the one I was expecting. I wonder why this ones up here. Is Max hiding it? Is he a shamed of Sarah?"

He turns to the first page. A photo of Sarah in her wedding grown looks up at him. "Hey Sarah," Niles said out loud. "I miss you so much." He sniffs. "Life has not been the same without you." he sighs. Just looking at the picture makes him want to cry. "Max was a lucky man, I don't have to tell you that though. How was it that he was so blessed? I was born in the same year, seven months earlier in the same household, yet on the other side of the tracks, the poor tracks, that is. I was born into a curse; a curse that still haunts me today." He sniffs, "Sarah why can't I find my soul mate like…like you did. Even if it was for a short time…" he closed his eyes. "I wish…I wish…. Don't get me wrong life's been good to me, you were good to me.

I just think there's more out there for me." He let out a slow breath. "I wish I knew what to look for. I wonder if there's a wedding in my future." He looked at Max dressed as a groom. "I can only wish…I see it now, Mr. and Mrs. Niles…oh how that would feel." Niles slowly turned the page. He read the title that was in Sarah's handwriting. **The storm on the century. **"That it was."

_The dark clouds rolled in late in the afternoon and loomed till nighttime. The Sheffield's were going out to a dinner party that night. Rain pelted the windows of the mansion. _

"_We're stuck inside again," whined Nigel. "I want to go out to the party."_

_Max slapped his hands over his brother's mouth. "They don't know we have been going."_

"_Oh," he smiled. Max let go and let his hand drop by his side. "Get together after dinner." He whispered to his brother. _

"_Soon enough my dear, maybe next year you can go." The nanny said as she pointed to the stairs. "Now run off and play." She told the boys. "I'll have the butler bring you some dinner later on." Max and his brother, Nigel went up stairs. The two boys enter his room to find his sister and the butler's son playing video games. _

"_How boring?" Max complained. "They don't know how to have real fun. No adventure." _

"_It beats your stupid plays." Jocelyn called as she left the room. Nigel sat down._

"_Put one on, put one on!" Niles shouted and clapped his hands, "Haven't seen one in a long time." Max liked when someone wanted him to put one of his plays on. Max placed a book standing up in front of him. He lay on the floor with only his one hand showing over the top. He had a king puppet on. "Oh where oh where is my dear?" he made the king go back and forth the length of the open book. "Oh what a glorious to day to be hiding from me." His hand moves the edge, to look down at his other hand that had the queen puppet on it. "Here I'm, down in the grass. I went to see the sun." he said in his female voice. "Come see me up here." called his other hand. _

"_I'm on my way up." The bride climbs the side of the book. Niles started laughing at that._

"_Like that would ever happen." Nigel commented. "You have a queen come up to you."_

"_Is she in love with him?" Niles hugged a pillow. "Oh, let them be."_

"_Who's putting on the play here?" Max shouted at the two of them. his puppets were now both on the top of the book. "Yes, they're in love." lighting crashed made all three jump. "Ah…" They all grabbed pillows. Then the lights went out. _

"_Look," Niles shouted. "Max's puppets glow in the dark." Max as scared as he was took the opportunity to continue his play. "Ladies and gentleman of the theater." He called. _

"_What?" Nigel asked._

"_Just watch my show. The lights will come back on in a minute." Max responded. _

"_Sure, like they always do."_

"_Continue, continue. Are they…married?" Niles asked._

"_Not yet…"_

"_I love happy endings. I hope I have one in real life." Niles hugged his pillow._

"_You're dreaming again Niles." Nigel patted him on the back. "You will be here with us forever, just like your father is."_

"_Niles, don't listen to him. You will be happy." Max shouted back. "All of us will." Max continued on with his play. "Come closer to me dear." The bride puppet walked closer to the king. Max smashed them together and made them kiss. He smacked his lips together. Another bolt of lighting lit up the sky and everyone screamed._

"_To all of us who will find our love some day." Max made his puppets nod. "To all." Niles responded. The lights came back on and standing in the doorway Jocelyn watched the boys play. Niles and Nigel clapped as Max finished the play up. Jocelyn whistled from the doorway. "Hooray." All three boys looked over at her. "Dinner is ready." She smiled. "Good play I might add." She turned on her heel was gone. _

"He had away with puppets. That was his first performance for all of us. Even though short one, good for a six year old." Niles smiled. "I'd never thought that would turn into a profession. His love for the theater never died. Like mine did…on stage that was. I got the play part right I just forgot the words… I ran off stage. And never went back on." He sighed. "That was not a good day for me. See that's where the curse started." He sighed again. "Just once…What if I had stuck with it?" Niles stood up and took a bow. He imagined a crowd cheering. "What a rush…that would have been." He shook his head sat back down and turned to the next page.


	2. Chapter 2

"Oh the tree house. The one that I help built…. Max and Sarah went off to…the movies and left me at Sarah's house."

"_Pss…Niles." come help me for a minute."_ "That was the longest minute." Niles laughed to himself.

"_Sure sir." Niles headed off to see Sarah's father. _

"_I'm building a tree house for you guys and my daughters. I don't…" he called._

"_Like us…" Niles looked at into the man's face. Wanting to know how Sarah's father really felt about them._

"_Not true just the opposite. Just not in my house. I'm sorry that's the way we grew up the boys had forts and tree house so…I don't want…I can't change Sarah's friends…like she can…I just hope you guys understand."_

"_We…I can't speak for Max but I do." Niles lied. He didn't understand any of it. he just thought it was one of those adult things. _

"_Hand me a nail," Niles dug unto the bucket got one, then another, then another. Before long he was climbing the ladder, holding boards with sweat dripping off him. Niles wiped his brow. "Wow, looks great." Niles commented as the last nail was hammered in._

"_It sure does son, doesn't it. I wish I had a son I could build things with…well, let's get some lunch. How about it? Just you and me." _

"_Sure."_

"He placed his arm around me. That's not right for a man to do that, now days but then…I didn't think anything of it. Oh well, can't change the past." Niles smiled.

"That afternoon we set up GI Joe men in the tree house and shot acorns at them to see how many we could knock over with the slings shots that we made. I wish I could find the ones we had." Niles smiles. "That was one of the best days of the tree house, for me any way. For Max, on the other hand he got lucky in that tree house…. I was the look out…I was always the odd man out. It's that curse I tell ya." He sighed. "Every time that we went anywhere…to sneak into the movies, to skip classes to see Sarah, even picnics. That was the worst for me. Max and Sarah they did everything together." His mind wonders back….

_He traced their outline with his eyes, their bodies connecting, moving and pressing together so tightly they could be one, as they stood in the water, the gentle current swirling leaves and twigs around them. Their moans were animal-like now their movements more frantic. Niles held on to the nearest tree for support, he felt his body ache his bones crack and blood went gushing through his veins. He wanted to feel what they felt. He sat down heavily against the big truck on the oak tree wondering how it felt to have the press of lips against his. He raised his hand to his mouth and kissed softly. He wondered what loving words they whispered to each other, he wondered what loving words any lovers whispered to each other. _

_What shorts of secrets did all lovers share? His heart pounded as he saw them gently touching each other's hair, stroking each other, more kissing and whispering. Niles raised his eyes to the sky watching as the gray clouds roll and tumble into sight mixing and melting with the white lazy ones. The wind picked up as the sky grew much darker, thunder boomed as the sky ripped and spun. Tears filled his eyes as a hollow ache flooded him. He's heart felt empty. To be caressed by another, to feel soft touches dancing along his skin, to be gazed at with eyes filled with love and passion. That's all he ever wanted… to be loved…, to feel, love like lovers do._

"I never got to feel that any of it."He sniffed. "My arms were so empty; my heart hadn't been filled with love from another woman other then my family…in years. But now thinking back I realize how much achingly loneliness for companionship I truly had, how my life consisted on day-to-day existence like it is still today. There is that curse again. One I'm still feeling today. I never got to feel any soft lips except the ones of my first kiss… he smiled.


	3. Chapter 3

"It was my ninth birthday and no one seemed to notice I was gone." He sighed. "How could someone not know I was gone? See how much they really cared." Niles swallowed. "It was a sunny day." He sniffed. "We went to the old playground park. I thought that might be fun. I thought having some kids from school over would make my day but…"

Niles sat at the bench and watched the other kids play, even his best friend Max included. A tear slid down his cheek. "Why will no one talk to me? I guess I'll just sit here by myself all day." Max walked up to Niles.

"_What's wrong buddy?" Max questioned noticing Niles sitting all alone._

"_I just want to…"_

"_Come on out here, it's great." Max patted his pants and dirt went flying in the air. _

"_I just want to sit and watch some."_

"_All right." Max went off again. He knew to leave Niles alone when he said that. _

"Why did he just leave me there like that? Didn't he know that I was in pain?" Niles shook his head. That was until…he smiled. "Until I saw her…"

_Niles, who had changed seats, looked out at the parking lot. Cars came and went. A car pulled into a slot not to far from him. He watched a girl and her family coming up. The little girl's blond hair was bouncing in the wind. _

_Niles watched her for hours it felt like. She went to the slides, and mingled with the other kids. "_I had never seen such a pretty girl; I thought she was an angel sent from above.

I was hoping that she would stay there forever_…_so I could watch her.The girl noticed me and came up. I was so nervous."

"Hi. There, Why are you sitting by yourself? Why aren't you playing with the other kids?"

"_I…"_

"_You look so lonely. You want me to sit with you?"_

"_If you want." The girl sat next to Niles, he could only stare. "You're pretty." She flipped her hands through her hair. _

"_Thanks." She smiled at Niles. "_Her smile was the best."

"_It's my birthday today. I'm nine."_

"_Really? What did you wish for?" _

"_An angel." "_She laughed, I never understood why though. Then she gave me a wink".

"_You think I'm an angel." Niles could hear soft voice say. "_That was the first girl that ever talked just to me_." Her eyes fluttered at Niles. That's when she took his hand in hers. Niles didn't know what to do. Then she leaned in to kiss him. He just…leaned into her. "_She had the softest lips, they where moist and so…so very heavenly. I had never felt so good in my life. I will never forget that silky smooth hair as it tickled my face that day. After that, she told me her name was CClare. I didn't have a chance to tell her my name, one: I was speechless and two: cause her mother came and grabbed her up. Her mother looked so mad at her, almost hateful. She scolded CClare as she made her way to their car. I could hear her shouting for her never to do that again. I got her in trouble. I never saw her again. I don't know if CClare was her first name or last." A tear slid down Niles cheek. "I wish I could see her again, just to know who she was. What's this…?"

Niles took at picture out of the spin of the book. It had writing on it**. Niles, I forgot I took this picture. It's of your first kiss. I was so proud of you.** "He was…" Niles started to cry. "Max was proud of me…" he sniffed. **Hope you hold on to it forever. Your pal, Max. **Niles turned the picture over and looked at it. He smiled. It was taken at the perfect angle. "When did he take this picture? I don't remember seeing him." Niles kissed the picture. "I will hold you forever. Cause... CClare, who ever you are, you are an angel, my first angel." He put the picture in his pocket. He looks down to see a picture of a lake.

"The park!" Niles shouted not meaning to. He swallowed, "That's the day…" he put his hands up to his face and tears immediately flooded his eyes again. "That's…" he sniffed. "The day that we…I almost lost Max." He blinked trying to make the tears stop rolling down his face. "It was May, I think, we were 7. The sun was shining that day. I wanted to go to the park cause we…I was bored.

"Can we go, can we go!" Niles jumped up and down. "I want to. I want to."

"_We will see," Nanny Muller called as she made breakfast. _

"_Please," both Maxwell and Niles shouted back as the boys climbed into their chairs at the table._

"Eat up first," she placed plates of pancakes down in front of them. "This is the most important meal,"

"_Yeah, yeah, yeah," Niles said under his breath and rolled his eyes. He heard her say that a lot. "Go ask, go ask." Niles encouraged._

"_alright," Nanny Muller called. "But…" she looked the boys right in the eyes. "No promises." Nanny Muller left the room._

"_This will be fun. I like the park. The outdoors," Max commented the shoved a forkful of pancakes in his mouth. _

"_You just want to sit and do your writing Max. That's the only reason you want to go."_

"_Is not. It's relaxing." Max responded. Practically spitting at Niles._

"_Get out in the water with me." Niles grinned. "And I wont tell about the plays you write."_

"_You won't….." Max swallowed. _"No one knew he wrote plays back then."

_Niles grinned back at Max. This time it was an evil grin. "Try me."_

"_Deal." Max shook Niles' hand. "No tricks though." Niles nodded as Nanny Muller arrived back in the room. _

"_Can we, can we." Niles got up from his chair. _

"_You have to finish your food first."_

"_Alright." The boys gave a high five to one another. _

"I challenged Max to go farther out in the water…"

"Come on you big baby, a little farther." Niles curled his finger towards him. "Look I'm fine."

"_You said no tricks."_

"_None here." Niles called out as water glistened around his feet. Max walked farther out towards Niles. The next thing Niles knew was he was getting washed down the way some. _

_When Niles got closer to the edge of the lake, he called out to Max. He didn't answer so Niles reached out and grabbed Max by the arm. The current was to strong fro him to hold on, he fell in and both and fell in. Both of them got swept down the lake some_. "When we stopped Max…" Niles sniffed… "He wasn't moving any. I yelled at him but nothing." Niles started to get teary eyed.

"_Nanny Muller," Niles shouted as they got to more shallow water. "I need help, now."_

"_What?" Nanny Muller looked up from her book. _

"_Help! Help me!" Niles screamed as loud as he could. Nanny Muller came running up to him. She saw Max floating there in the water so still._

"_What happened?"_

"I don't know. We were out in the water then he just stopped. I…" Nanny Muller jumped in the water and lifted Max's limb body. "I had never been so scared in my life at that that moment." Nanny Muller placed Max on the grass and bent over him. Niles looked on in horror. Niles got in a ball and started crying. "Call 911." Nanny Muller shouted. Niles just froze. "Call 9-1-1." She yelled at Niles again. 

"_Where, where?" She pointed. Niles ran that direction as fast as he could almost running over a cop. The cop grabbed him by the arm. _

"_What's wrong fella?"_

"_I need to call 911." Niles pointed over to his nanny. "She told me too." The cop picked up his radio and talked to someone. _

"_Can you tell me what happened?"_

"_My friend he…he's limp…" Niles pointed ounce again to nanny Muller._

"_Good job fella", he rustled Niles hair. "an ambulance is coming." Sirens squealed in. _

_Max started coughing up water. Nanny Muller stepped aside to let the med team take over. Niles watched, as Max was loaded onto a stretcher._

"_Niles, you did good." Nanny Muller hugged him. _

"_I want to ride with him." Nanny Muller just shook her head. Niles looked up at her with pleading eyes. "Why? I caused all of it. Please."_

"_Oh, alright son, go ahead but do what you are told to do." Niles jumped in beside Max in the ambulance. _ "That was my first ride in an ambulance."

"You have to stay here." A Nurse tells Niles when they enter the hospital. He watched them take his friend away. He just stood there. Nanny Muller ran up to him.

"_It's going to be fine dear," she wrapped her hands around his neck._

"_You are so very brave little fella." A nurse called as she came up to the two of them. _

_Niles turns his head from the nurse and clung to Nanny Muller's leg. _

"_Your friend is going to be ok." She held out her hand. "You can come see him, if you like. Niles followed his Nanny to go see Max. _ He was sitting in a bed watching cartoons._ Max smiled when he saw Niles._

" _Come join me." He called and patted the bed next to him. Niles climbed in the hospital bed next to Max. _

Niles ran his hands down his face. "I'll never forget that moment Max smiled at me in that bed. He didn't remember what happened to him. I got in trouble that night.

I told Nanny Muller that I challenged Max to go farther in the water."

"Why did you do that?" 

"_I…"_

"_Don't ever do that again." she scolded at Niles. "Don't ever challenge someone."_

"_I thought he could swim," Niles lowered his head. "We…took lesions I thought it was the same as our pool."_

"_It's not. A lake," she put her arm on Niles' shoulder. "A lake has currents,"_

"_That's why we floated?"_

"_Yes, anyway they are dangerous. Always go with someone."_

"_Yes, ma'am." She tucked Niles into bed. "Now remember no more challenges like that." Niles looked over at Max, who was fast, asleep. "I promise." _

"_I love you both now get some sleep. You've had a hell of a day I know I have."_

"We sure did. One that will haunt me till the day I die. I just…" Niles blinked. "What if he died? I would never forgive myself. What would my life be like without him, I don't want to think about that." he sniffed. "I would have never meet Sarah, no first kiss no, nothing. I might be living on the streets begging."


	4. Chapter 4

He smiled at the picture of Nanny Muller holding her romance novel. "Ah, she taught me a lot of things." He looked down in the box. He picked up a book covered in mud. He touched it. That's another awful day. I missed the school bus and had to walk home.

The rain pelted the window of the locker room. Instead of waiting outside in the rain like everyone else, Niles went into the locker room to read. He opened the book that nanny Muller gave him. He got so caught up in it that the school bus drove by and he did see it. Niles thinking it was a long time looked at the clock on the wall and it was nearly five o'clock.

"I missed the bus."

"A long time ago." One of the football players called at Niles.

"_I've got to go. I'm going to be so dead."_ _Niles raced out of the gym and across the field. He thought it would be quicker if he took the woods. But that was a mistake. A group of boys saw him. _

"_What's that?" one said as he pushed the books out of Niles' hands, papers went everywhere. The romance novel skidded out of Niles' notebook. Niles turned around to face them. _

"_Why did you do that?" They just laughed._

"_Look it's that dough boy from our school." One commented meanly. They surround Niles. _

"_What do you want?"_

"_Look he reads too." One of them picks up the book from the pile of papers. _

"_What's this," the bigger one called. "A woman kissing a man," he threw the book in the mud, "he's a pervert too. Get him." Niles took off running but was caught by the collar and thrown down. _

"_Ow," Niles cried out. _

"Oh, did we hurt the baby." Niles had had enough he was ready to fight back but there was just to many to fend off. The punches kept coming. A clap of lighting scared them off. Niles tried to look up but couldn't see too good. "I have to get out of here." Niles said as he got to his feet. He looked down at his cloths. A big hole was ripped on his shirt. "Great just great, how am I going to tell them about this? Now everyone will know that I can't defend myself." Niles said out loud. 

"_No one's going to know." Niles turned around to see Nanny Muller helping gather up his things. "Now let's get you home." She handed him his stuff. "What happened?"_

"_I missed the bus and was walking home."_

"_You know that's dangerous. Now why did you miss the bus?"_

"_I was reading in the locker room." Nanny Muller looked aat Niles' books. _

"_You…"_

"_Yes, I took it to school." She grabbed the book from Niles. She told him never to bring it to school again. "_She placed it on the top self in my room. I was not allowed to get it down unless it was a weekend. I read lots of romance novels thinking they would help me get girls. It was a good idea at the time." He laughed thinking about that. She caught me one day pulling down a book from her self in her room. I can still hear her screaming at me.

"Why are you in my stuff?" 

"_I was looking for a book, I wanted to read other. I want to know how to take a girl to the prom."_

_Nanny Muller smiled. " I'll help you prepare for that," _And she sure showed me. We spent all week long on it. She taught me how to dance…

"Niles, stand on my feet." Niles stepped on Nanny Muller's feet. "Now repeat after me."

"One Back."

"_One Back." Niles followed Nanny Muller. _

"Two, two side." 

"_Two, two side."_

"One forward."

"_One forward."_

"_Two, two side."_

"_Two, two side."_

"And again." she said. "One back- two, two side-one forward- two, two side."

The music stopped. Nanny Muller went over and pushed play again. "This time you try it on your own." Niles nodded. He followed her words over and over while she watched. "Very good." When the song ended for the second time, Niles plopped down on the bed with a sigh. "Can we rest now, I'm tired."

"Only for five minutes, we have one other thing to cover. An important thing."

Niles leaned his head back and shut his eyes. Five short minutes went by.

"Now pick up the doll."

"_what?" Niles blinked his eyes._

"_It's for you to kiss," Niles hesitated, then pick up the life size doll._

"_Turn head, open lips." _

"_How is this going to help me? I need to feel it. Like a real kiss."_

"_That's not a bad idea." _

"_What? I…" the nanny had look on her face that Niles thought was funny._

"_Come here." She called. He slowly walked up to her. "This is right after you drop her off at the end of the dance. Now put your hands here," she placed Niles' arms around her. "And let's try this again. Turn head, open lips…" and with that they kissed. _

_The kiss was longer and more desperate then either of them had meant it to be. Niles' head spun and every nerve in his body leaped in response to her touch. _

Niles swallowed. Niles was breathing heavy. "I can still feel the tingles of that kiss. oh oh…how I wish to feel that again. I can always dream. That's not the only kiss that we shared that night. Thirty minutes before the prom I went up to her room to thank her… her door was closed. That usually meant she was reading.

_Knock. Knock. Nanny Muller came to the door. _

"_Niles," she sounded shocked. "what can I do for you?"_

"_I…" he swallowed. "I wanted to say thank you."_

We got so caught up in another kiss…it was supposed to be a short kiss…but…

_Nanny Muller unbuttoned Niles' shirt as the kiss went on. she slid it off his shoulders. Then reached for his pants. Touching his built she hesitated for a minute. Niles took her hand in his. "What's wrong?" Niles asked in a husky voice._

"I…" Niles could help himself. He kissed her again. He started unbuttoning her shirt and…. 

"_We landed on the bed and…" Niles stomach knotting, his groin burned as he remembered that night. "I did get lucky that night but I missed the prom all together. What a night that was. Oh, what a night." He took the picture out of his pocket of the first girl he_ _kissed. One tear slid down his cheek. Loneliness hit him again. "I wish." He held the picture against his heart. And closed his eyes as he started to rock back and forth. Back and forth._


	5. Chapter 5

**Authors notes: **all italic words are the thoughts of the characters.

**Max's office:**

"I've called all the local hospitals," Max sighed as he placed the phone down. "No one matching his description or name has been admitted. I guess…" he swallowed. Max's mind: _I can't lose him too. I don't think our hearts could take it._ He sighed a soft sigh. _Where are you? Niles, just be out somewhere. At this point I don't care where anywhere just come home. "_I guess I will." He looked at Fran so still, so quiet, so…he sniffed. Fran looked up at him. "You don't think." She gasped.

He shook his head. "At this point, I don't know," he picked up the phone, "Anything's possible." He swallowed. "I guess I'll start calling the morgues."

"Calling the morgues," CC said as she entered the office. "For what?" she smiled. "Did Nanny Fine die?" CC didn't see Fran sitting on the love seat behind her.

"No, I didn't." she yelled. CC turned around with a whip. "Well then who?" she turned to look back over at Max. "Oh no, not Niles." CC mind: _couldn't be he was….I just saw him this morning. _

"Yes," Fran started.

"No…."

"Have you seen him?" Max asked.

"Not since earlier today. Why do you think something happened to him?"

"No one has seen him all day. I called all the hospitals and nothing…. now I'm going to call all the morgues." CC left and went to the terrace. "No…" she screamed.


	6. Chapter 6

Niles shook his head. "I didn't just hear Ms. Babcock up here." Niles looks around "couldn't be."

"Niles," she screamed again. He went to the small circle window at the end of the attic. He stumped his toe on a piece of uneven wood in the floor.

"Ow." He hollowed out.

"Niles," CC looked around confused. "He can't be here, I don't see."

"She can hear me?" He pushed the window and it swung open the rest of the way. He saw her pacing the terrace below him.

"Up here." He called. She followed the voice. She saw a figure standing in the shadows.

"In the attic." She questioned.

"shh…Yes, I…"

"You've been up there the whole time?" She shook her head. "Since this morning?"

"I got shut up in here."

"I'll come get you down." he sighed. "Thank you."

Niles' mind: _Finally somebody…_"I'll owe you."

"That you will."

Niles mind: _great what does she have planned for me?_ He swallowed. _I can't imagine._ CC enters the house through the hallway next to Max's office. "Good the door to the office is closed, that way no one will see me." She sneaks up the stairs to the second floor. She looks to the ceiling "Now where is the attic door." She goes all the way down the hall. "There it is." She sees the string hanging down. She looks around to see if any of the kids are around. "No one." She stops for a minute, "Should I let him out um…or should I tell Maxwell. Um…hard one. He's going to owe me big for this." She rubs her hands together. "That might come in handy one day." Light shined as the door to the attic opened. CC went up the stairs slowly. She didn't know what she was going to find in that attic. She popped her head in the doorway.

"Niles," she whispered. He was walking towards her carrying a big box.

"Coming."

"What's that for?" she pointed at the box he was carrying.

"It's my old stuff, I was looking for it." he smiled. "Someone shut the door on me."

She started laughing at him. "They wanted to contain you."

"Don't get any ideas woman. It wasn't funny." CC face turned back to serious.

"Max and Fran have been looking for you most of the day. They even called hospitals." She swallowed not wanted to think about the other place that Max was calling as they spoke. "And the morgues."

"The morgues," Niles swallowed.

Niles' mind: _Oh no, I'm going to get an ear full tonight_. "I…" he started he didn't know what to say to Max or Fran.

"Come on." she turned to see the look of concern on Niles face. CC's mind: _He looks…_ She shook her head. _No way, Niles doesn't get scared but he has this look about him. _"I'll cover for you." she smiled one of her smiles that frighten Niles.

"You?"

"But you'll owe me twice now." He nodded at her. Both of them looked down the hall then slowly descended the stairs. "Go to the front door, then ring the bell."

"Why?" he asked.

"Do it, I'll take care of the rest."

Niles' mind_: take care of the rest what does that mean. Is she going to rat me out to Max and Fran. Why would she do this for me? Oh no blackmail for later I bet. I…I have no other choice._ He sighed but did what she said. A few minutes pass. He stood at the door and rang the bell.

"I'll get it." CC yelled. She opened the door. "Niles," she sounded shocked. "It's Niles, he's back!" she shouted loud enough for Max and Fran to hear. Both of them come bolting through the living room. Fran ran up to him and hugged him.

"Where have you been? I…" Max asked as he walked up.

"ut. um." Fran glared back at Max. "We have been looking everywhere for you."

"I…" Niles looked at CC. Niles' mind: _I thought she was going to help me out…_

"We called all the hospital and the morgues." Fran said.

"Doing research." CC mouthed behind Max.

"I was doing research. Um…"

"At the library, I lost track of time." She mouthed again.

"At the library I lost track of time and fell a sleep." He added. CC shook her head.

Max sighed. CC knew that sigh. It's one that meant he bought the story they came up with.

"Just let us know. We were worried." that was CC's cue to come up to him.

"Sorry." Niles shrugged.

"You big golute. I even missed you." she hugged him tight.

"Thank you." He whispered. "I'm not just talking about helping me. I missed you too." She stepped back from him and slapped him on the shoulder. He knew that was for play. Niles' mind: _did she really miss me? Cause I did miss her. I thought I never see any of them again. I thought I might die up there and no one would know. _A tear formed in his eyes.

"What was that all about Niles," Fran asked bewildered at CC's actions. He shook his head.

"I can't figure that…" he pointed to her. "That out." his stomach growled. "Let's get something to eat."


End file.
